Fish fry Bengali Style

The weekend started with an elaborate dinner party. Not my own, this time.
I sat around doing nothing. Feasting on Ostrich steak and home made apple strudel. Every offer of washing up, cooking and tidying being brutally rejected.
I felt stuffed. Indulged. Empty.
Three further consecutive meals out and I simply had to reinstate myself in the kitchen with a reassuringly fiddly though easy recipe.
Fish fry Bengali style is what I settled on - a traditionally deep fried, spicy, breaded fish fillet. In my kitchen, they would be grilled.
So I changed into a comfy pair of shorts, took one last look at my fluorescent manicured fingernails and plunged into an assembly line of fish marinade and coatings.
Ten minutes of dipping, patting and 20 minutes of grilling and felt complete again. Now, when's my next dinner party?

Method:

In a blender puree the onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic together with the salt. Coat each fillet on both sides with this marinade and leave to sit.

Then line a flat baking tray that’ll fit your fillets with kitchen foil and smooth the oil on top of it. Next, in a flat bowl whip up the egg, and add half the flour on one plate and four tablespoons of breadcrumbs on another.

Line the flour, egg, breadcrumbs and baking tray up on the cooker. Now cut each fish fillet into half through the middle, widthwise.

Dip each side of it into the flour patting to coat evenly so no onion mixture is exposed. Then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. You need to make sure that it coats evenly each time and then lay on the baking tray.

Repeat this process until you have four breaded fish fillets. Then grill, flipping over to the other side mid way, for 20 minutes until you have golden brown and crisp fish fillets.

Try this with fresh lemon wedges, a summer salad and some tomato chutney for a quirky and healthy TV meal.

Ingredients:

Feeds 2:

275gm or 2 skinless and boneless white fish fillets (I used Basa, Cod works well too)

2 green finger chillies

75gm white onion

3 garlic cloves

1 inch ginger

1 tsp salt

1 egg

100gm plain flour

Breadcrumbs

2-3 tbsp oil

11 responses to “Fish fry Bengali Style”

Hey Mallika
I lovvvve grilled fish and have been dying to try out an easy recipe to start with at home. Am greatly inspired by ur recipe, since it is my first time, can u please advise me how to buy fish from the supermarket? I live in London.
Thanks,
Meghna.

Thanks Ladies. This would be lovely with Kasundi (mustard sauce) actually.

Meghna – boneless, skinless packs of cod fillet are your new best friends. Rip the pack open, rinse the fillets and proceed as above. Once you’ve tried them you can experiment with others like boneless salmon fillets, lemon sole and smoked haddock. All available ready to cook in your supermarket!

Gaile – My kitchen has no more space for a George Foreman grill so I just use my normal grill. It still takes three tablespoons of oil but better than half a bottle for deep frying!

I liked your recipe and tried it out at home too. But because of no oven I just fried it on an wok and it really tasted crunchy and succulent. Thanks for this recipe, and to add am a total fish freak. I like everything about fish.
Catch me cooking:http://bengalicuisine.wordpress.com/

You are a hero to fry fish – it’s a mission. My mother used to do it every Thursday and the kitchen was a no-go area with its (fresh) fish, floured table and vat of boiling oil – no to mention her maternal hot temper. I avoid frying because it looks such hard work but…maybe I should give it a try (while practicing yogic breathing to keep me calm).